House Rabbit Care
House rabbits are kept in wire or wooden cages or allowed to run free in a designated area of the house. Cages are often a self cleaning type with a raised wire floor or a solid floor for litter-box trained rabbits. A resting board or mat is often used for heavy weight rabbits or fine boned rabbits such as Rex to aid in preventing sore hocks. House rabbits are often trained to use litter boxes or litter trays.
House rabbits are usually fed grass hay. Pellets made from timothy grass may supplement a house rabbit's diet. This differs from commercial rabbits, where pellets often account for a much larger portion of the diet.
Living in a house shelters a rabbit from possible dangers such as predators and pesticides, but it has its own hazards if the owner is not diligent. To prevent electrocution, house rabbit owners hide electrical cords or cover them with flexible clear tubing. Rabbits' ingestion of papers, fabric, and carpet may cause gastrointestinal blockages, and their chewing may damage their owners' possessions and homes when proper precautions are not taken. House rabbits need to have regular mental stimulation and physical exercise to be healthy.
In most regions, house rabbits do not require vaccination; however, vaccines are prophylactic against myxomatosis and rabbit hemorrhagic disease where these vaccines are legally permitted. While tularemia is a zoonotic disease of concern, there is no vaccine currently available - instead good hygiene is the best preventative. In the United States these diseases are extremely rare or nonexistent; however, they are reportable diseases which all pet owners should be aware of. Cases of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (VHD) in the United States are reported periodically.
House rabbit organizations recommend that house rabbits be neutered or spayed. Health advantages of neutering and spaying include a reduced risk of ovarian and uterine cancer and endometritis in females. Neutering and spaying house rabbits also reduces territorial marking in males and aggression toward other rabbits. The risks associated with spaying a rabbit include infection of the surgical site and death from anesthesia.
A rabbit cannot be declawed. Lacking pads on the bottoms of its feet, a rabbit requires its claws for balance. Removing its claws will render it unable to stand. Rabbits with access to rough surfaces will naturally keep their claws worn down to a certain extent when running, but most pet rabbits normally require their claws to be clipped regularly. House rabbits may need regular brushing, especially if they are of a long-haired variety. Due to the rabbit's biological incapability to vomit, removing excess fur prevents intestinal blocking and fatal choking that can be caused by hair ingested during self-grooming. Spaying female rabbits greatly reduces the risk of cancers of the uterus and ovaries.
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